SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the overall chairperson of the House quad committee, yes-terday said the panel is studying if it will recommend the admission of Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza in the De-partment of Justice’s (DOJ) Witness Protection Program.

Barbers, who chairs the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, said an endorsement from Congress is the only way Mendoza can be admitted in the DOJ program since police officers are prohibited by law to avail of the WPP.

“We’re studying if it’s okay,” he said in a text message, adding that the DOJ is likewise assessing if Men-doza and retired Police Cpl. Nelson Mariano, who admitted to recruiting a hitman, a certain “Loloy,” to kill former Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) official Wesley Barayuga in 2020, can be admit-ted in the program.

Barbers explained that government personnel are prohibited from being admitted into the program un-der Republic Act No. 6981, or “An Act Providing for a Witness Protection, Security and Benefit Program and for other purposes.”

Section 3 of the law states that any person who has witnessed or has knowledge or information on the commission of a crime and has testified or is testifying or about to testify may be admitted into the pro-gram, excluding a “law enforcement officer, even if he would be testifying against the other law en-forcement officers.”

“In such a case, only the immediate members of his family may avail themselves of the protection pro-vided for under this Act,” the law said.

Section 4 however provides for an exemption: “In case of legislative investigations in aid of legislation, a witness, with his express consent, may be admitted into the [WPP] upon the recommendation of the legislative committee where his testimony is needed when in its judgment there is pressing necessity therefore: provided, that such recommendation is approved by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may be.”

Mendoza claimed during the quad committee’s hearing last Friday that former PCSO general manager Royina Garma

ordered Barayuga’s assassination in exchange for P300,000, a claim corroborated by Mariano.

Mendoza said that the plot allegedly began in October 2019 when Police Col. Edilberto Leonardo, now a commissioner of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), approached him with a “special pro-ject” to eliminate Barayuga and frame him for alleged involvement in illegal drugs.

Mendoza said he reluctantly complied because the order came directly from Garma, who was known for her close ties to then then-president and for alleged links to the Davao Death Squad (DDS).

Meanwhile, Sen. Christopher Go welcome the reopening of the police investigation into the assassina-tion of Barayuga even as he denied claims that he was informed about the motive of the killing.

The PNP has reopened its probe on the Barayuga murder in light of the revelations of Mendoza during the House hearing.

“Wine-welcome ko ang balak ng pambansang kapulisan na muling buksan ang imbestigasyon sa pagpatay sa dating opisyal ng PCSO na si Wesley Barayuga. Dapat lamang na mabigyan ng hustisya ang kanyang pamilya. Dapat nga noon pa ay nabigyan na ng hustisya yan. Gayunpaman, Mabuti na rin na maimbestigahan yang muli ngayon para mapanagot ang dapat managot (I welcome the PNP’s move to reopen the investigation on the killing of former PCSO official Wesley Barayuga. It is only fitting that jus-tice be served his family which should have been given earlier. Nevertheless, a re-investigation is good so that those responsible for his death be made accountable),” Go said in a statement.

Go denied the claim of former PCSO chairperson Anselmo Pinili that the senator knew the motive for killing Barayuga.

Pinili, also during the quad committee hearing last week, said he allegedly shared the possible motive and suspects on the killing of Barayuga in a conversation with Go and former undersecretary Jesus Mel-chor Quitain.

Go said: “Nais ko ring klaruhin na wala akong alam sa sinasabing motibo sa kanyang pagkamatay o sa anumang impormasyon na mayroon si dating PCSO chair Anselmo Simeon Pinili ukol dito (I would also like to clarify that I know nothing of the alleged motive in his [Barayuga’s] death or to any other infor-mation former PSCO chair Anselmo Simeo Pinili has in relation to this).”

He said he was already a senator during the time of the killing and was busy focusing on his job as chair-person of the Senate Committee on Health.

“Tumutulong ako sa Duterte administration noon sa pagtugon sa mga suliranin ng bansa, ngunit kapag may inilalapit sa akin na mga isyu o report, palagi kong inire-refer ang mga iyon sa kaukulang opisina, ahensya o opisyal. Lalo na kung hindi ko naman trabahong aksyunan ang mga iyon dahil Senador ako na may sariling mandato (I am helping the Duterte administration in addressing the problems of the coun-try. When some kind of information were brought to me, I always make it a point to refer them to the concerned government agency or official especially when they are not within my duties and functions as I am a senator with specific mandates),” Go said.

“Sa totoo lang po, hindi ko rin naman pwedeng pakialaman ang proseso ng ating kapulisan tungkol sa insidente. That is why I take exception sa mga ibinabalita sa media na may alam ako sa motibo ng pagkamatay ng isang tao at wala raw akong ginawa. Please get your facts straight. Doon lang sana tayo sa totoo at tama (To tell you the truth, I am aware that I cannot interfere in the processes made by the police in relation to that incident. That’s why I take exception to reports that I know of the motive in the killing of a certain individual and that I did not act on it. Please get your facts straight. Let us stick to what is right),” he added. – With Raymond Africa